I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to support rail assemblies for luggage carriers and, in particular, to a support rail which may be adjusted along longitudinally extending rails or removed altogether according to the user's specific requirements.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Elevated support rails have been widely utilized to constrain luggage or the like transported on roof mounted luggage carriers. Generally, these support rails are utilized in conjunction with a load-bearing surface formed by a series of parallel slats mounted flush with the surface of the vehicle. Thus, the luggage is placed upon the load-bearing slats and may be tied down to the support rails which also prevent the luggage from sliding off of the carrier due to changes in momentum. In order to improve the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle, both the peripheral frame and the load-bearing slats are designed to minimize wind resistance.
However, because the frame is permanently fixed to the vehicle surface by a plurality of stanchions, these elevated rails add unnecessary wind resistance during periods of non-use despite their aerodynamic properties. In order to alleviate this problem, removable stanchions were developed which connect to sockets formed in the vehicle rooftop. Generally, these stanchions are spring-biased within the sockets to prevent inadvertent removal of the stanchions. Removal of the elevated frame is accomplished by first disassembling the rails from the stanchions and thereafter individually removing the stanchions. Upon removal of the frame, the load-bearing slats and the stanchion sockets remain.
Despite the provision of a removable frame for luggage carriers, these frames are limited by the placement of the stanchion sockets. Thus, smaller luggage loads or odd-sized packages are not readily accommodated by the past known luggage racks since changes in momentum would have a tendency to shift the baggage until a frame member is reached. Moreover, these conventional luggage carriers are not readily accommodated to different vehicle makes and sizes.